February 2019 Global Defence & Security Industry - Military News

The Chief Of Nigerian Army Staff, (COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has announced that the Nigerian Army will begin to export combat vehicles to other African countries in the year 2030. This information was released during the commissioning ceremony of the Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) in Kaduna.

Estonian Minister of Defence Jüri Luik confirmed the Ministry of Defence’s action plan for the period 2020-2023. According to Estonian Minister of Defence Luik, servicemen are at the centre of the new action plan. ‘In 2018, together with the Commander of the Defence Forces, we made the decision to raise the average salary of active servicemen from the current average of around 30% to 33% above the Estonian average,' said Luik.

Iran is to enhance its long-range missile capabilities by, on the one hand, integrating its brand new Hoveizeh missile to its forces, and on the other hand, arming its Khorramshahr missiles with guided warheads (Khorramshahr 2).

In only 2 years, the Granatkastaranscarband 90 (Grkpbv90) has come from contract to delivery. FMV's Director General, Göran Mårtensson, was really impressed to already receive the first 4 wagons, noticing that much can be done when having a good cooperation (with reference to the cooperation between the FMV, the Swedish Armed Forces and the industry in charge of the project).

World-class specialist in design and production of high-specification armored vehicles and survivability systems, US-based Jankel Tactical Systems, has been awarded 3 contracts to supply their BLASTech mitigation seats to a US based MRAP provider. The contracts have a multi-million dollar combined value. This announcement coincides with the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Conference (TWVC), taking place in Monterey, California, 03-05 February 2019.

A stock of weapons and other cargo belonging to the UN have been held up at Vurra border with DR Congo for more than a month due to unpaid transport and customs fees. Sources familiar with the matter told Daily Monitor that the impasse that has seen eight weapon-loaded trucks grounded at the border in Arua District of West Nile, about 345km north-west of Kampala, stems from millions of shillings owed to transporters and customs offices.Sources said the delay in delivery of the weapons poses a security risk for both Uganda and DR Congo.

Bulgaria's Ministry of Defence said that its drive to get people to enlist in the military will resume on February 7 and continue until the end of October 2019. Titled "Be a Soldier", the campaign was launched by the Defence Ministry in October 2018, in a response to the serious shortfall of military personnel in Bulgaria.

The summit’s design and manufacturing activities will focus on bringing together industrialists and manufacturers as work on moving Turkey towards self-sufficiency in its defense industry continues. Turkey is currently using 65 percent indigenous products in its defense operations.

The Indian Defence Ministry has cleared a long-pending proposal of the Army to purchase around 73,000 Sig Sauer 716-G2 assault rifles for a value set at $97 million under fast track mode, official sources said on 2 February, The Times of India reports.

Since the beginning of 2019, the F3 uniform has begun to dress the French forces deployed in external operation. This innovative outfit announces a series of developments in combat equipment that aims to improve the soldier's daily life while strengthening its operational efficiency.

Saab has announced that it will further develop a VR experience designed to demonstrate a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher offered by the company, mainly its iconic Carl-Gustaf M4, Ben Lang reports on roadtovr.com. VR/AR agency Vobling initially built a VR experience in 2017 designed to show off the capabilities of the latest Carl-Gustaf launcher (the M4) and serve as the main attraction for Saab’s presence at the Defence and Security Equipment International conference in London that year.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will set up an Inspector-General’s Office to ensure “command emphasis on safety is consistently applied” across all units, said the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Melvyn Ong on 31 January, as reported on YahooNewsSingapore.

The Royal Thai Army’s buying spree shows no signs of letting up with the disclosure on February 1 it has committed to spending another 70.3 Mn USD (2.2 billion baht) on more military hardware from China, Teeranai Charuvastra reports on Khaosodenglish.